Hello sunshine my old friend......

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Hey all,
Sorry we have not written in so long, we've been doing a fair bit of driving in the out-back and have not been near much internet access but don't worry we're here now and boy do we have some stories to tell.

New Zealand has quite a few glaciers but two of the main ones are on the south island. We were able to hike up onto one of them and spent an entire day walking around on it. It was amazing, unfortunately it was chucking down with rain which made it especially cold but it was a great experience. The weather got worse as the day went on and you would hear the occassional rock fall from around the mountain and some the glacier would break off. Slightly scary!!!! That night we had neat whisky and hot showers to warm ourselves up.

After the very cool glaciers, we went down to a place called Wanaka which is north of queenstown. It is a right beauty of a place, surrounded by mountains near the most amazing lake. We cooked our lunch on the lake side and pottered about. We went to the cinema whilst in Wanaka which was not your local Odeon, it was a tiny place and the chairs were old re-used chairs from cars, airplanes, diners, leather sofas etc, Jez and I sat in the car.. yep there was the front half of a morris minor in the cinema which Jez and I were in, totally uncomfortable but we were the envy of everyone in the cinema.

We then went to Queens town which is the adventure capital of New Zealand. If you looked up into the sky you could see about 10 sky divers at a time. Nutters!!! Whilst here we made the decision to go on our 4 day hike. New Zealand has many 'great walks' and the Route Burn walk is just one of them. It is about 33km long.. eek!! Not being satisfied with just this walk, we decided to add another trek to our journey (a further 38km) called the Green Stone Walk so that our route would go in a loop and we wouldn't have to pay the lots for transport back to the beginning of the track. (hope that makes sense)

After completing the 4 day hike, we have decided to write a book about our experiences. We have written a few little points below. Our book is going to be called...

How not to trek and camp by Mez and Jez Volume 1

1) When packing for an adventure make sure your pack does not exceed 5 stone in weight, exceeding this limit will cause you great pain in many places. It may also cause irreversable hunchback damage!
2) New Zealand walks do not go downhill EVER!! Although they actually do, you not notice because your bag is too heavy(see point one)
3) The bag you buy before you set out must be of a good standard and will not fall apart when the wind blows on it.
4) It is always fun to meet new people on treks but chose your friends wisely and stick to those close to you. When trekking the geriatrics of this world tend to hike Hareems of more than 12 and will take all the spaces in the huts leaving you to sleep on the wooden floor. With this is mind, go as fast as your little legs can take you to your next hut and to book the matress. Also joining forces with the younger travellers ensure territory is claimed.
5) Finally, always bite of more than you can chew, at the end of it you will be so proud of yourself and remember it with very fond memories. For example, when you realise that your boat back to your car leaves the next day at 10am and the walk to this boat is about 4-5hrs long, make sure you get up at 5am and go trekking the NZ bush in the pitch black to get to your destination. Please note head torches and lamps WILL NOT help you cross a river in the dark, best thing to do is to fall in, it may be cold but its less dangerous and quicker.

We actually had a brilliant time, and would not change a thing. we were walking along mountain tops, walking up really rocky terrain, walking through the most amazing forests. We walked in the rain, wind and sun and despite that our backpacks really did weigh a stupid, stupid, stupid amount it was great!.

We then spend the next 5-6 days recovering, travelling slowly along the south coast. We went to a place called Caitlin coast, one of the places in NZ to spot Yellow Eyed Penguins. Jez and I went to the spot on the beach where the penguins come to shore around this time of year to breed, it was a beautiful beach, really pretty. We waited for about 40 mins for the bloody penguins to show... but nothing, then wait.. whats that small black thing scooting along the sea, we were both so excited, there he was, a little Yellow Eyed Penguin shuffling his little feet into land, it was the single most cutest thing I have ever seen.

We're now nearing the end of our NZ adventure, we give Shadowfax (our affectionate name for our campervan) back on monday and then we're off to Thailand on Wednesday. New Zealand has been a blast, the amount of the fun we have had is through the roof and we can't wait to show you our pics. Especially the one of the penguin, too cute!!

Speak to you all in Thailand.

Lots of love, kisses and cuddles

Mel and Jez
xxx

P.X HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARK, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE 30??? OUCH, THATS GOTTA HURT!! Hope you have a good bro xxx

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